Effect of host genetics on the gut microbiome in 7,738 participants of the Dutch Microbiome Project

Esteban A Lopera-Maya, Alexander Kurilshikov, Adriaan van der Graaf, Shixian Hu, Lifelines Cohort Study, Sergio Andreu-Sánchez, Lianmin Chen, Arnau Vich Vila, Ranko Gacesa, Trishla Sinha, Valerie Collij, Marjolein A Y Klaassen, Laura A Bolte, Milla F Brandao Gois, Pieter B T Neerincx, Morris A Swertz, Hermie J M Harmsen, Cisca Wijmenga, Jingyuan Fu, Rinse K WeersmaAlexandra Zhernakova*, Serena Sanna*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

250 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Host genetics are known to influence the gut microbiome, yet their role remains poorly understood. To robustly characterize these effects, we performed a genome-wide association study of 207 taxa and 205 pathways representing microbial composition and function in 7,738 participants of the Dutch Microbiome Project. Two robust, study-wide significant (P < 1.89 × 10-10) signals near the LCT and ABO genes were found to be associated with multiple microbial taxa and pathways and were replicated in two independent cohorts. The LCT locus associations seemed modulated by lactose intake, whereas those at ABO could be explained by participant secretor status determined by their FUT2 genotype. Twenty-two other loci showed suggestive evidence (P < 5 × 10-8) of association with microbial taxa and pathways. At a more lenient threshold, the number of loci we identified strongly correlated with trait heritability, suggesting that much larger sample sizes are needed to elucidate the remaining effects of host genetics on the gut microbiome.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-151
Number of pages9
JournalNature genetics
Volume54
Early online date3-Feb-2022
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb-2022

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